Trump signs memoranda regarding pipelines

President Donald Trump has signed Presidential Memoranda regarding the construction of both the Keystone XL Pipeline and the Dakota Access Pipeline.

The Keystone XL Pipeline is an 1100 mile crude oil pipeline to connect oil production in Alberta, Canada to refineries in the US. A statement from the White House website said that construction and operation of the pipeline, as well as oil production and refining activities related to it, would create tens of thousands of jobs for US workers, as well as enhance the country’s energy security and generate significant State and local tax revenues.

President Trump has also directed the relevant Federal agencies (including the Army Corps of Engineers) to expedite reviews and approvals for the remaining portions of the Dakota Access Pipeline, which is designed to carry approximately 500 000 bbl/d of crude oil from the Bakken and Three Forks oil production areas in North Dakota to oil markets in the US.

Trump has also directed the Secretary of Commerce to develop a plan under which all new pipelines in the US, as well as retrofitted, repaired, or expanded pipelines, use materials and equipment produced in the US, to the maximum extent possible.